Raising the Bar: Windlab’s Next Chapter in Renewable Energy

About this episode

Andy Marsland interviews Nathan Blundell about Windlab's advancements in renewable energy and community engagement in Australia.

In this episode of Exploring Clean Energy, Andy is joined by Nathan Blundell, Chief Development Officer at Windlab. Together, they explore how one of Australia’s leading renewable energy developers is raising the bar for wind and hybrid projects nationwide. They discuss Windlab’s journey from CSIRO spin-out to a fully integrated developer, the realities of project timelines and approvals, best-practice community engagement, biodiversity net gain, grid connection challenges, and two major Queensland projects set to shape the next phase of Australia’s clean-energy transition. Episode topics & timestamps 00:00 - Welcome: How Windlab began, its CSIRO origins, and the evolution of wind development in Australia 02:05 - The integrated model: From mapping wind to delivering and operating full-scale renewable projects 05:10 - Development lifecycle: Why five to ten years is realistic and how early community engagement reduces risk 08:30 - Data and bankability: From LiDAR and met masts to ensuring project certainty 11:10 - Community engagement: Listening before telling, regional focus, and building trust early 16:05 - Common community concerns: Managing change, benefits, and…

People in this episode

Host: Andy Marsland

Guest: Nathan Blundell

Topics covered

• renewable energy
• wind projects
• community engagement
• biodiversity
• project development
• energy transition

Keywords

• Windlab
• renewable energy
• community engagement
• biodiversity net gain
• project timelines
• CSIRO
• Queensland projects

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Windlab, CSIRO, Gawara Baya, EPBC

Places: Queensland, Australia

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